Many passenger vehicles, particularly trucks, vans and sport utility vehicles are used to tow a trailer. The trailer is attached to a towing vehicle via a trailer hitch. One common type of trailer hitch is a receiver trailer hitch which includes a generally rectangular shaped tubular receiver in an assembly fixed to the vehicle frame structure. A generally rectangular shaped tongue extending from the trailer is mounted inside the receiver. The trailer hitch communicates the pulling, turning and braking forces from the towing vehicle to the trailer. Trailer hitches must bear a significant load and are designed for both functionality and aesthetics. In view of the strength and safety requirements of trailer hitches, a conventional 10,000-pound capacity trailer hitch typically weighs about of 35 pounds.
These conventional devices are typically formed from steel and include assembly of numerous components which may number as high as eight or more and which are joined together via arc welding. These heavy trailer hitches are often difficult to manipulate when installing or removing from a vehicle. Moreover, the weight of the trailer hitch adds significantly to the vehicle weight, thus reducing the fuel efficiency of the towing vehicle.
Typical trailer hitches formed from steel and having multiple components are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,578,358; 4,032,170; 5,102,156; 5,511,813; 5,620,198 and 5,277,448. Common to the trailer hitches disclosed in each of these patents is a multi-piece structure having an overall U-shaped configuration which is bolted at least at the ends of the U-shaped structure to the towing vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,111 discloses a hidden trailer hitch having a curved strut member with mounting flanges attached to the end of the curved structure. U.S. Pat. No. Des. 427,118 discloses a design of elliptical tubes for use in a trailer hitch.
A significant drawback to conventional trailer hitches is the sheer number of components of the trailer hitches. The number of components adds to the complexity in manufacturing and installing the trailer hitch as well as the overall weight of the trailer hitch.
Accordingly, a need remains for a simple, lightweight vehicle trailer hitch having a minimum number of components.